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By Joe Buscaglia

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Bills' receivers need to earn trust says Fitzpatrick

by Joe Buscaglia,posted Aug 1 2012 10:36AM

If you work on projects with a group of people, more often than not you have some you know you can trust to handle their responsibilities, and others that you're unsure of. Think of it as an inner circle, if you will.

In the NFL, that inner circle between quarterbacks and wide receivers might be one of the most high-profile ones around.

"It's such a big thing in the quarterback-receiver relationship," quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick told The Howard Simon Show on Wednesday. "I would say that's the most important thing, is me being able to trust a guy."

That trust Fitzpatrick is talking about isn't just handed out to new receivers in an offense like helmets and team gear. It's on them to get to that level.

"I definitely don't start off trusting them. They've got to earn that. There was a play the other day -- [Tuesday], I signaled a route and T.J. [Graham] ran the wrong route. I just talked to him in the locker room about it. 'That's going to hurt the trust level a little bit, you've got to be able to earn it back. You've got to go out there and you gotta make sure you're not messing up. You've got to make sure we're on the same page.'

"It's such a big thing. I don't want to be thinking when I'm out there, 'Is this guy gonna do the right thing, does he know what I'm talking about?' I've got to trust that they're gonna be in the right spot at the right time."

Speaking of Graham specifically, Fitzpatrick said he's starting to get it and getting better, but added the rookie is not quite there yet.

So who is in Fitzpatrick's inner circle? The players you would have guessed: Stevie Johnson, David Nelson and Scott Chandler. The quarterback said Donald Jones is climbing the rungs of trust as well.

It just goes to show you need a whole lot more than a quick time in the 40-yard dash to make an impact in the NFL.